Thursday, November 11, 2010

Chambers schedule meetings

Special events year round honor Vets on the Kenai
November 11th is Veterans Day and locally there will be a ceremony at the Soldotna Sports Center put on by the VFW Post #10046, Am Vets, and American Legion. According to Herb Stettler of the VFW, National Guard Sgt. Matheson is scheduled to be the keynote speaker. The public is invited to attend the event. In keeping with tradition, the ceremony will commence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It marks the day which armistice or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect back on November 11, 1918, in what is generally regarded as the end of "the war to end all wars."

Froso's shows appreciation for 20 years with exciting new beverages
For many years, the establishment called Pizza Pete's on the Spur Highway in Soldotna was a popular place for family dining. Many young adults today starting their own families remember going out for family nights and special occasions at Pizza Pete's. Mike and Froso Charalambous who purchased the restaurant 20 years ago became like members of everyone's family, and would always wave and greet you warmly from the kitchen. Then tragedy struck and the old Pizza Pete's building burned down. However the Charalambous family didn't allow the fire to put them out of business, and from the ashes rose the new Frosos's Greek, Mexican and Italian family restaurant. The new building was designed to be a place elegant enough for a special night out, and casual enough to enjoy after a day of outdoor activities on the Peninsula. Recently the building had some slight remodeling, which has the owners and staff enthusiastic about the future of Froso's in Soldotna.

Trunk or Treat draws princesses, politicians, ghouls & goblins to Kenai
It was like an Alaskan sourdough miner hitting the mother-load when it came to treats for the youngsters that turned out on Halloween Sunday for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Kenai Peninsula's annual Trunk or Treat event held in Kenai. Despite an icy wind, thousands of costume-clad children of all ages lined up trunk to trunk as local businesses, groups, organizations, and politicians handed out sweet treats at the event's Frontage Ave. location. Inside the old Kenai Elementary School building, which is now home of the Boys & Girls Club, a capacity crowd played traditional games, won prizes and showed off their costumes. "It was howling Halloween weather that's for sure," said Chairman of the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Kenai Peninsula - Peter Micciche. "The reason we put this together about six years ago was to give kids a safe place to trick or treat. But you see a lot of grown ups here today in great costumes having fun with all the kids," he said.

South Central Title Agency goes "Royal" for Halloween
When it comes to going "over the top" at Halloween, no one does it better than South Central Title Agency in Soldotna. The business is located across from Sweeney's on the Sterling Highway in Soldotna, and while the normal business culture focuses on real estate transactions, South Central Title transforms each season, much to the delight of area residents. From the Fab Fifties and Grease, to Pirate themes, to this year's South Central Castle - complete with drawbridge and dungeon, Joe Rogers and staff turn their normally sedate offices into a virtual Disney attraction. "What can we say? The bounty was plentiful this year and it only seemed well to return to the subjects of the enchanted community of the Kenai Peninsula a time of feasting and merry making for all," decreed King Joesph on the eve of Halloween. According to King Joesph, hundreds of guests turned out for the annual festivity and only a few peasants lost their heads or were put in the stockade for showing up without a royal seal on their invitation.

Curiously Unique, Practically Beautiful
I have the utmost respect for talented chefs who are adept at creating edible food centerpieces for special occasions, such as Thanksgiving. I especially love the look of cornucopias made of bread, but believing they were difficult to construct, or required materials too obscure or expensive to attain, I never attempted to make one -- at least not until now. Armed with recently acquired instructions from food culinarian Peggy Beck, owner of Bluffton's The Joyful Palate Catering & Events, several cans of refrigerated breadsticks and a few supplies that included little more than a file folder, some tape and a roll of heavy duty aluminum foil, I set to work on making my first bread cornucopia. From cone-shaping start, to golden brown finish, the project took the better part of an afternoon to assemble and bake. But, it was fun, and looking at the completed piece was gratifying, even exhilarating. Like all hand-crafted items, I appreciate no two cornucopias will ever be alike, making their uniqueness, charming, and their beautiful practicality, fascinating.

Wings says thanks for the support
Wings Christian Academy would like to take this opportunity to give our heartfelt gratitude to the following businesses for their continued support of our annual Walk-a-Thon.

Thanks for sending us to D.C.
We'd like to thank the following community members and agencies for the support they gave us while we worked towards our goal of going to Washington, D.C.

Takoda's family says thanks
Words cannot express the extent of gratitude we would like to extend to the local communities for the love and warmth displayed towards Takoda and our family during this challenging time. Takoda's vigil and funeral were truly perfect, we couldn't have asked for anything more.

Veterans Day is about remembering vets
This Thursday is Veterans Day and all I see are ads about sales. I wonder if we've forgotten that our nation was built by the blood sweat and tears of men and women who were ready and willing to lay down their lives for us. Not just them, but the families that have lost someone to a war, past and present.

Remember our veterans
The rights and freedoms we enjoy today are directly attributable to the sacrifices of our veterans. Each time I say the simple words of the Pledge of Allegiance, or I gaze upon the beauty of our flag, I reflect on the sacrifices made by so many of our men and women who wear or have worn the uniform of the United States of America. Veterans Day is a time to express our appreciation to those who have given so much and have asked for so little in return. May God bless our veterans and our troops that are still in harms way.

Special use for a special place
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources is proposing to designate the state-owned lands at the mouth of the Kasilof River as a "Special Use Area." Designating a Special Use Area is the only way the State of Alaska can set and enforce some basic rules to protect the area from the damage occurring there every summer from participants in the personal-use fisheries.

News Brief: Veterans honored today
There will be a Veterans Day observance at the Soldotna Sports Center today at 11 a.m. Local veterans associations including the VFW, AmVets and the American Legion sponsor the annual event complete with guest speakers and a gun salute.

Soldotna police launch safe driving campaign
The Soldotna Police Department is preparing to launch a major, year-long public education campaign aimed at significantly reducing the number of road accidents, especially those that result in injuries and fatalities.